Talking Points Memo on the Tea Party
To: Seminar on American Politics
From: Glen Czaplewski
Date: 6/13/2010
Re: Talking points on the future of the tea party and the 2010 election.
Much has been said in recent months about what the Tea Party (TP) means for the future of the Republican Party and what impact it will have on the 2010 election cycle. Despite its hype, one can only conclude that the TP will do little to help the GOP in the 2010 election. This is largely because:
• The TP supports unelectable candidates. Rand Paul is an excellent example of this. Shortly after winning the Republican primary, he introduced himself to the nation by bemoaning the passage of the 1965 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In so doing, he has shown that he is far from the main stream and thus will be unpalatable to many voters. Candidates such as Paul are likely the downfall of the movement as a potent force in the American electorate.
• Without a strong leader to focus its anger, harnessing its power. The tea party is not a cohesive movement gelling behind a single leader. As such, there is no one to help harness the anger and energy and focus it into cohesive political action.
• Economic Improvement will remove the fuel which stokes their fire. A May 5th Washington Post-ABC poll show that primary concerns of is the economy (85% of TP supporters rated this as their primary concern opposed to 44% of TP opponents). As the economy continues to improve, this issue will be less salient in the mind of voters, thus denying the TP its primary issue.
